Tom Spiggle

Tom founded Spiggle Law to help individuals facing difficult workplace issues. Although Spiggle Law represents employees in many different matters, Tom has a soft spot for those who suffer from discrimination. As a former prosecutor with significant experience in high-level criminal cases, Tom is also uniquely qualified to represent individuals subject to workplace investigations and criminal prosecutions.

WJLA: Attorney-Private Employees May Be Fired if Spotted at White Nationalist Rally

Discrimination, In the News

August 16, 2017 When white nationalists marched with torches at the University of Virginia on Friday night, many did so without hiding their identities. Then a Twitter user called out one of the men later identified as Cole White, who was an employee at the California fast food chain “Top Dog”. White later voluntarily resigned. “I think the […]

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summary judgment

New Summary Judgment Standard for Retaliation Cases

Retaliation

Rarely will an employee have direct evidence of an employer’s unlawful behavior, such as discrimination or retaliation. This is particularly troublesome for employees when the employer files a motion for summary judgment to dismiss the employee’s lawsuit. Recognizing the challenge that employees face at this pretrial stage, courts have established a special burden-shifting standard to

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sexual orientation

Appellate Court Finds That Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation Violates Title VII

Discrimination

Recognition of equal rights for the LGBTQ community has made great strides in the past few years. For example, same-sex marriage is now legal in the United States, thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. However, the legal rights of the LGBTQ community still lag far behind, especially within the realm of employment

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credit information

Discrimination Based on Credit Information Is Now Prohibited in Washington, D.C.

Discrimination

Despite what you might think, not every type of discrimination is actually illegal. If an employer tells an employee she’s fired because the company doesn’t like her religion, is that legal? No, because a law specifically prohibits discrimination based on religion. But if an employer fires an employee because the employer doesn’t like the color

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mediation

What Is a Demand Letter, and How Demanding Should It Be? Demand Letters, Part 3

Is It Worth It?, Litigation

In my previous two posts, I talked about how getting your emotions under control will allow you to get the jump on your former employer when litigation begins. The first addressed what to do when you receive the company’s response to your demand letter. The second discussed what to do when you get the typical

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demand letter

What Is a Demand Letter, and How Demanding Should It Be? Demand Letters, Part 1

Is It Worth It?, Litigation

If you’re having trouble at work and you’ve talked to an employment law attorney, he or she might have mentioned sending a “demand letter.” What exactly is a demand letter, though? A demand letter, as the name suggests, is a letter that an employee (often through an attorney) sends to a former employer “demanding” that

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